The Last Testament of Maya St Germain
by Forever without him
Summary: Twist on "The Lady Killer" (Ep 3.12). Emily and Caleb are caught in the crossfire of Maya's killer, and things at the lighthouse don't unfold exactly the way they did on screen. Rated-M for violence. Starts out the way it does on the show, but things take a deadly twist. It's a "what could have been?" to up the ante. Originally started as one-shot, but needed a few chapter breaks.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N** : A friend of mine was bitching about "The Lady Killer" episode of PLL because we didn't get to see what actually went down in the lighthouse after Caleb got there…and to be honest it never really made sense to me that we didn't see how Caleb got shot given that Nate was unconscious on the floor dying. My friend and I speculated that Nate got one burst of final energy, got the gun, and shot Caleb, and then Emily stabbed him again to protect Caleb. _

_Then we started talking about what a hell of a finale it could have been had Nate caused more damage, and how much more intense it could have been. My friend begged me to write that scenario. Being that I am always terrified to write characters I love because I'm afraid I'll screw them up I said no. Then, as all good friends do, she totally guilted me into it. So long story short…if this story sucks you can blame her. Not me. I just wanted to be like Wine Mom Ashley Marin sitting in my PJs and sippin' my booze while all my other drunk friends got into shenanigans while I chilled and watched. But instead…I'm writing dark and angsty shit because my friends are obsessed with this show...because of me. I deserve this fate. This is my fault._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

She was dreaming of her. The last time she'd heard her voice:

 _You were my first, but it won't be our last. Time travels til it's in the past. You'd think our love was some thickening plot. They don't know that it's all we've got._

It wasn't the same as being with her, but just seeing her in that video and hearing her voice was enough to make Emily feel like Maya was still with her.

And now here she was…standing right in front of her. She felt her touch. She could smell her aroma. And suddenly the nightmare of Maya's death was gone. Emily's heart started racing as Maya touched her face and pressed her lips against Emily's. Emily closed her eyes and got lost in the moment. She was falling into a state of oblivion she never wanted to come back from.

A loud noise screamed into the air. Emily's eyes shot open and she was no longer looking into her beloved's eyes. The room was dark, but not so dark that she couldn't see the antique table in front of her.

The noise interrupted the silence at the lighthouse inn. It was the phone. Emily sat up. She wasn't with Maya. She was alone in the middle of nowhere. Well, not completely alone. She looked around for Nate. She reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

There was nothing on the other end at first. Just static.

"Hello?"

"You have one minute." A distorted voice warned. "Get. Out."

Emily's eyes widened in fear and she slammed the phone down. It had to be a hoax. It was someone messing with her. Someone who knew she was hiding out to stay away from Garrett Reynolds' trial.

"Nate?" She called out.

When he didn't respond she got up and looked around the cabin for him. She glanced out the window to see if maybe he had gone out to look at the stars. Maya loved looking at the stars, and Maya and Nate had a lot in common. Or so she thought.

She saw Nate's bag out of the corner of her eye. Something about it was calling her to it. It was strange…an inanimate object calling to her. It was an odd sensation, as if Maya was in the room with her. She flipped through Nate's bag and spotted a familiar envelope. It was the letter she had written to Maya's family. Nate had promised to mail it. Something wasn't adding up.

Her instincts were telling her, _Girl, kick off your shoes and run_ , but in her heart she had the sinking feeling that it was too late.

She heard him approaching. She had just enough time to put the letter back in Nate's bag before he waltzed through the front door hauling firewood.

"Looks like a storm is on the way." He smiled as he closed the door and walked over to the fireplace. "Went for a great hike…" But Emily didn't hear anything else he said. There was a stain on his hiking boots. A stain she recognized. A stain that connected Nate to Maya…but not in the way that he'd claimed to be connected to her. She'd seen the fluorescent yellow paint on those shoes in a photo of Maya at Tru North.

Emily knew she was in trouble. She knew she had to get out. The phone call hadn't been a hoax.

"Did you call your mom?" Nate asked.

 _Lie_. Her instincts screamed at her. Lying was second nature to her, though she had never been very good at it. She tried to pretend she was playing cards. That was the only time she knew how to bluff.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Everything is fine."

He turned around and smiled at her.

"I'll make us some tea." He walked to the stove.

She glanced at the door. Could she make it? And even if she did, where would she go? She was in the middle of nowhere. She was kicking herself for not staying in Rosewood with her friends. She'd gladly take reporters hounding her and Garrett's trial over becoming the next victim in a bad horror movie. She tried to play it cool. She looked around the cabin to see if she could spot any potential weapons.

"I brought some DVDs. We should watch a movie," he suggested as he poured steaming hot water over two teabags.

Her heart was fluttering in her chest.

"I'm not really feeling that great." That wasn't a lie. She felt sick to her stomach. "I…uh…I think I'm going to get some fresh air."

If she could just get out of the cabin and away from him she could find a place where her phone got a signal and call for help.

"I'll go with you." He jumped on it almost immediately.

She tensed up.

"It's really dark out…" he added.

"I'll find my way," she said with more confidence than she realized she had.

He walked her to the door and she thought, _He's going to kill me…I'm never going to get out of here alive._

He smiled at her, "You better wear your jacket. It's cold out there."

She had a chill, but not because of the cold air. The ice-water running through her veins was because of the dangers inside. She put her jacket on and tried to smile at him as she walked out the door. She walked into the woods and breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced down at her phone and dialed a number so that when she got a signal all she'd have to do would be hit 'send'.

Then there he was standing in front of her with a malicious look on his face. She screamed internally, but tried not to panic.

 _Act normal._ Her inner voice wanted her to survive.

"You scared me half to death," she faked a smile.

But he knew. She could tell that he knew.

"Not really." He glared at her, no hint of emotion on his face. "But I will."

He grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the cabin, despite her protests.

"Stop it, Nate!" Emily exclaimed, hoping at someone…anyone was around to hear her pleas.

"You need to see something." Nate ignored her.

"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked.

He didn't answer as he shoved her through the door and locked it behind them. He pushed her over to the couch. He pulled out a knife and simply pointed to the remote control. Emily's hands were shaking as she reached for it.

Maybe she could hit him hard enough to knock him out.

"Don't even think about it." He brandished the knife in her face. "Play it." He pointed to the TV.

Emily pressed play. The screen was blank for a few seconds, but then…there she was…Maya. And Emily felt like she was in a dream again…only this dream had morphed into a nightmare.

Maya spoke to Emily as if she was standing in front of her:

" _I wanted to give you this in person because I want to be there when you watch it. I've said so many wrong things to you._ "

A tear slid down Emily's cheek. It hurt to see Maya like this…in front of him. It wasn't right.

" _Emily, this is me taking the time to get it right…_ "

Emily could hear Nate fiddling with the knife behind her and she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on Maya's words. But then something registered…

"… _I think that stalker from Tru North found me._ "

Nate jammed the knife into the table and smiled sadistically.

"… _I'm coming home. If you still want to be with me…_ "

Emily's eyes welled up with tears. Maya hadn't left her. On some level she'd always known that Maya would find her way back to her.

Nate chuckled and paused the video.

"How could you not fall in love with her smile?" He sounded miles away.

"Why do you have this?" Emily asked.

"You know why." He walked around in front of her. "I loved her." Emily swallowed a knot in her throat. "Don't look at me like that."

Emily was too afraid to look anywhere else, so she continued to stare at him. It enraged him. He leaped forward and held the knife up against her windpipe. She felt the cool steel blade pressing against her skin and she cried out.

"You took her away from me." His voice was shaking. "And it's ironic, but you've also given me a piece of her back."

"Did you bring me here to kill me?" Emily questioned.

 _Of course he did, you idiot,_ she mentally answered her own question. She'd dealt with psychopaths enough to know the answer.

Nate laughed.

"I'm going to do to you what you did to me." He walked over to the closet. "I'm going to take something from you, and you are going to watch me do it."

Emily glanced towards the door again. She wanted to run, but her feet weren't getting the message from her brain. Nate changed that fight or flight response the instant he opened the closet door. Paige was sitting in the closet gagged and bound and she looked terrified. Emily's mind immediately went to work. She had to get him away from Paige. This was her mess and she didn't want anyone she cared about to end up as collateral damage.

Nate sauntered over to the couch and leaned forward. He ran his hands gingerly through Emily's hair. Emily cringed.

"When we kissed I thought 'maybe I don't have to hurt her.'" He was so close that she could taste his breath. "I thought, 'maybe I can move on _with_ Emily.'"

 _He is out of his damn mind._ She thought to herself. She glanced at her cell phone on the table.

"But just like Maya, you were playing me!" He grabbed the back of her neck roughly.

"That's not true." She tried to stay calm.

"I gave you a choice and you picked her." He looked at Paige with disdain. He walked over to Paige, leaving his back turned for a split second. Emily took that opportunity to grab her phone. He picked Paige up and tossed her on the couch next to Emily. Emily could see the terror in her eyes. And in an instant she could see what happened to Maya happening to Paige. Her stomach curled into knots.

"I want you to see this." Nate pressed the blade against Paige's neck.

"Nate, no, please…" Emily begged.

He didn't stop.

 _Stop him!_ She screamed at herself.

"My friends know I'm here!" She tried to distract him. "My mom knows! They'll find you."

She thought at the very least that would cause him to pause. Instead, it seemed to amuse him.

"You underestimate me, Emily." He smiled…that poisonous smile. "They think you're here with Nate St. Germain. And he doesn't exist."

"Who are you?" Emily knew, but she had to keep him talking…to keep him from hurting Paige.

"Lyndon," he said. "Lyndon James."

 _The knife. The initials._ It all made sense. _Maya wasn't afraid of going back to Tru North._ Emily looked at Nate. _Maya was afraid of going back to him._

Maya had always played off that her stalker wasn't that big of a deal, but Emily knew she was afraid of him. If her parents had forced her to go back to Tru North they would have been hand-delivering her to him. That's why Maya had run away.

"I've waited as long as I could." Nate played with his knife. "But Jenna saw me with Maya…"

 _Jenna warned me. She warned me! Why didn't I listen?_

"Maya's parents are in town for the trial, so…time's up." He shrugged. He drew the knife back and got ready for the kill.

Paige screamed and Emily panicked.

 _Oh, God. This is happening. You have to do something!_ Her brain was screaming at her.

Her breathing increased. She felt her adrenaline going into overdrive. Her hand curled into a fist, ready to make contact with his smug face. She didn't care if he attacked her. She just wanted to get him away from Paige. She drew back and got ready to throw a punch, but something stopped him in his tracks.

A noise outside startled him away from the girls. He scurried off the couch to see if he'd been caught. Paige whimpered. Emily looked at her.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Emily whispered. "He can't hurt you if he's after me." She knew he would come after her. She just had to outrun him.

Paige furiously shook her head, but Emily was determined…and nothing could stop her when she was determined. She made a beeline for the front door and started racing through the woods. She couldn't get a signal on her phone, so she kept going. Nate ran after her. She followed the light from the lighthouse. If she could get a signal anywhere, that would be the place. She was at the top of the lighthouse when she heard her phone beep.

"Thank God." She dialed 9-1-1 and breathed a sigh of relief.

But her nightmare wasn't over yet. The instant the call connected, Nate leaped out of the shadows and tackled her. She dropped her phone. He raised his knife above her chest and plunged it forward, but she rolled out from under him. She tried to get to her feet, but he grabbed her again. She saw the knife gleaming in the light. This time it made contact. She felt the knife pierce her skin. He twisted the blade into her stomach. She inhaled a shocked gasp and let out a pained cry.

"You're mine now, bitch," Nate pulled the knife out and plunged it towards her again.

She saw the eyes of Maya's killer fixed on hers, and she found herself wondering if this was what Maya saw moments before her death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Her adrenaline kept her from collapsing. She fought back with everything she had. She knocked the knife out of his hands. He kicked her feet out from under her. She landed on her back. She felt a sharp pain where she'd been stabbed, but she was still of enough sound mind to keep fighting. He leaped on top of her, but she threw her feet into his abdomen and kicked him backwards. She grabbed the edge of something to pull herself up, nearly slipping because her hands were drenched in something wet. She knew it was her blood, but she couldn't stop to think about how badly she was hurt…not if she wanted to survive.

Nate grabbed her and threw her up against the center console, nearly shattering the glass that contained the bulb. He grabbed the knife from the floor and came at her again. The knife was covered in her blood and Nate almost dropped it. He twisted it around to thrust it at her and Emily saw her opportunity. She grabbed his wrist and when he fell against her the blade went up towards his abdomen, tearing a hole into his gut. He immediately went limp. He let go of the knife and it slipped into her hands. She tightened her grip around the weapon and backed away as he fell to the ground. Blood pooled all around him. His body started spasming as he gasped for air.

Her head started pounding. She closed her eyes in pain. She could hear someone hyperventilating. When she opened her eyes she expected to see Nate on the ground gasping for breath, but he was still. It was then that she realized that she was the one making all the noise.

"Emily?" Someone called out to her.

 _Am I hallucinating?_ She thought. _I'm dying._

"Emily!"

She recognized the voice. It echoed throughout the lighthouse. Seconds later Caleb appeared holding a gun and sporting a determined look.

"Caleb?" she felt her energy draining.

He took in her appearance.

"Oh my God. Emily?" He closed the distance between them.

She collapsed into Caleb's arms, shivering. Her face was flooded with tears. She dropped the knife and started sobbing. Caleb held her so she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"What happened?" Caleb pulled back just enough so that he could see Emily's face.

"Nate." She shuddered. "He killed Maya. He…he was going to kill Paige. We have to go back for her. She must be so scared."

"You need to go to the hospital." Caleb looked down at her gushing wound.

"But Paige…"

"Hey, we'll come back. I promise."

She stared at the bloody knife on the ground. He followed her gaze.

"Caleb, I killed someone." She cried.

"Emily, he shoved a knife into your gut. You had no choice."

"I never should have come here." Emily shook her head. "Jenna tried to warn me. And Maya said…"

"Maya?" Caleb questioned. "Em, Maya's…" But when he looked at her he realized that she wasn't thinking clearly. "Come on, we have to get you out of here." Caleb slid the gun on to a shelf so he could get a better hold on her. "Can you walk?"

She didn't answer him. She was going into shock. Caleb felt her sinking to the floor, but he refused to let her fall.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." He slid his arm down the small of her back and looped it underneath her arms to help her stand. She cried out. "Hang in there." They took a step towards the exit.

There was a noise from behind him. Caleb peered over his shoulder. Nate lunged out of the shadows with the gun. Caleb saw him coming and knew that it was too late to stop him. But he knew that he had enough time to get Emily out of the way. He pushed Emily into the corner and tried to tackle Nate, knowing that Nate's finger was on the trigger…knowing he might not come out of it alive.

Emily knew this, too, but she couldn't move fast enough to do anything. She couldn't move at all without a side-splitting pain coursing through her abdomen. She'd lost too much blood to react the way she wanted to. Everything happened in slow-motion. She saw Nate's finger squeeze the trigger and she heard the shot. Caleb dropped to the floor in front of her. He rolled on to his back and groaned. His shirt was covered in blood.

"CALEB!" Emily screamed. "No!"

Nate fell to his knees in front of Caleb, one hand clutching his stomach and the other hand clutching the gun. He took aim, his hands trembling. Emily could see her blood on Nate's hands. And in that instant she saw Maya's blood on his hands. And now Caleb's.

"No more," Emily muttered to herself.

Nate was fading and Emily could tell, but unless she did something Nate was going to get a second shot off. Nate had killed Maya. Nate had tried to kill her. Nate was going to kill Caleb. She couldn't let him do it again.

Emily saw the knife on the ground. She grabbed the blade and crawled to her feet. Nate spun around, ready to fire at her, but she plunged the knife into his chest first. The gun hit the ground and Emily flinched thinking that it would go off. When it didn't she used her foot to kick it across the room. She collapsed next to Nate. She stared at him for a moment to make sure he was really dead.

Caleb groaned again and she immediately crawled over to him. He was barely breathing. He was covered in blood. Emily looked around the lighthouse. There was so much blood that she didn't even know whose blood was whose.

"Caleb?" Her voice was hoarse. She reached out to try and touch Caleb, but she couldn't feel her hands. She could see that he was still breathing, but his breaths were shallow and he looked pale.

She looked around to see if she could find her phone. Had it been destroyed in the crossfire? She thought she saw a light around the corner, but when she tried to reach for it she saw stars in her eyes. She fell against the floor and her vision started fading.

" _Emily_ …"

"Caleb?" Her vision was going dark, but she reached out in the darkness.

" _Em, this is bad._ "

"Don't go, Caleb." She wasn't even sure what she was saying. "Hanna…think about Hanna."

" _Emily, you have to stay awake."_

No, no that wasn't Caleb's voice. It was the same voice that had lulled her into comfort earlier in the evening before everything fell apart. It was the voice she'd heard on the tape Nate had forced her to watch. It was a voice that would always be a part of her soul.

"Maya…" She whispered.

"… _you are the brave one._ "

"No, I'm not." Emily uttered.

"… _you know how to be still…in the middle of everything._ "

Emily felt her heartrate slowing down.

 _I'm hearing voices. I'm going to die out here. Caleb is going to die out here. And it's all my fault._

" _Emily, wake up._ " Maya begged.

"Goodbyes are the only perfect things we get." Emily mirrored words once written by Maya.

"… _don't say goodbye, love. It's not time. We'll see each other again one day, but it's not time. Not now._ "

"Maya…Maya please don't go." Emily cried.

A sound pierced Emily's brain, and suddenly she was awake again. She could feel everything…including the hole in her gut. She heard the noise again. It was a ringing sound coming from Caleb. He shifted in his unconsciousness. It's like he knew who was calling out to him and it was automatic for him to respond.

 _He's still alive_. She breathed a sigh of relief. She reached over and found his phone. Her vision was blurry, but she could see enough to know who was calling. Even if she hadn't been able to see the caller ID, she knew who it was. She picked it up.

"Hanna…"

"Emily?" Hanna asked. "What's going on? Where's…"

"Caleb's hurt." Emily's voice was barely a whisper. "It's bad."

"We're on our way, Em. What happened?"

But Emily didn't have the strength to rehash everything that had happened. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness again.

She reached up to check on Caleb. She forced herself to roll over on to her side so she could put pressure on his bullet wound. When she pushed against the wound he sucked in a pained gasp.

"We're at the top of the lighthouse. Call 9-1-1," Emily said. Then she slipped out of consciousness.

Hanna went into a full blown panic. The call was still connected, but no one was talking.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked. She tried to keep her eyes on the road, but her gaze kept drifting to the backseat where Hanna was screaming into her phone.

"I don't know!" Hanna exclaimed. "She just said Caleb was hurt and then…I don't know."

"Did she say how bad?" Aria asked.

"No. We need to call 9-1-1."

"What about Emily? Is she okay?" Aria questioned.

"She…I'm not sure. She answered the phone." Hanna wasn't sure what to think. "She sounded weird. Maybe she can't talk because the person who hurt Caleb is after her." She swallowed a knot in her throat. "Oh, God, what if he dies?" She felt tears burning her eyes.

"He's not going to die. Emily won't let that happen. She's there with him." Spencer reminded her. "Han, he's going to be fine." She used the hands-free device in her car to call 9-1-1.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" A voice on the Bluetooth responded.

"Our friend is hurt." Hanna tried not to completely lose her composure as she yelled into Spencer's speaker. "We need help sent to The Lighthouse Road Inn. They're at the top of the lighthouse…"

Hanna heard someone huff out a heavy breath on the other end of her phone and then the breathing became labored.

"Emily? Em? Is that you? Are you hurt?" Hanna asked.

No response.

Spencer pushed the accelerator as far down as it would go. They were almost there. They beat the police. Hanna barely waited for the car to come to a stop before she jumped out. Spencer and Aria followed. Spencer took the lead once they reached the lighthouse. She bounded up the spiral staircase with Aria trailing closely behind her and Hanna right behind Aria. When they reached the top they saw all the blood.

"Emily?! Caleb!?" Spencer shrieked.

They rounded the corner and Spencer nearly tripped over Nate's body.

"Oh my God, is that…" Aria paused and looked down.

"Nate?" Spencer stared in shock.

"Is he dead?" Aria's hands started trembling.

Hanna pushed past Aria and Spencer. She nearly slipped in Nate's blood, but she didn't care. All she knew was that Caleb was hurt. She started to call out for him, but then she saw them on the ground surrounded by blood. She screamed and Aria and Spencer were by her side an instant later.

"Oh my God." Spencer rushed towards them. "Emily!" She started to hyperventilate.

Caleb was on his back. Emily was right next to him on her side, and though she was unconscious her hand was gently pressed against a wound on his stomach.

"There's so much blood!" Hanna cried. She was sobbing as she crawled in between her best friend and her boyfriend.

"How did this happen?" Aria kneeled next to Emily. "Em? Emily?"

"Maya?" Emily asked, her eyes still closed.

"You guys, we've got to help them. How…how do we help them?" Aria asked.

"Caleb?" Hanna pulled his head into her lap. "Oh, God. Caleb?"

Spencer gently moved Emily's hand to get a better look at Caleb's wound.

"It looks…I think he's been shot." Spencer's voice cracked. "Hanna, put your hand right here. Hold pressure, okay?"

Hanna nodded wordlessly and did what Spencer said.

"Here, help me turn her over." Spencer took Emily's neck and shoulders and looked at Aria to grab her legs. "We've got to find out how bad she's hurt."

Aria helped Spencer get Emily off of her side. She whimpered in her unconsciousness.

"She's covered in blood." Aria cried in shock. "Is that hers or Caleb's?"

"I don't...I…uh…I can't find a wound." Spencer glanced at Emily.

Aria pushed Emily's shirt up and saw a gash in her stomach.

"Here." Aria put her hands over the gushing wound.

"Oh my God, what the hell happened to them?" Spencer glanced at Caleb and then down at Emily.

"I can't…I can't stop the bleeding." Aria's hands were shaking.

"We don't have to stop it." Spencer took her jacket off and folded it up. "We just need to slow it down until help gets here." She leaned over Emily's head and pushed the jacket against the wound.

Emily gasped and her eyes shot open. She looked around frantically. Aria took the jacket from Spencer and pushed against the stab wound.

"Emily?" Spencer looked down at her. Emily's eyes were fixed on hers, but she was looking at something else. Spencer laid Emily's head in her lap and took her hand. "We're here. It's okay. We're here."

"Where…" She reached up and felt around for Caleb.

"Hey, you have to stay still." Aria tried to keep pressure on the wound.

"Is Caleb…"

"He's still here." Hanna reached over Caleb and grabbed Emily's hand with her free hand. She squeezed it. Emily turned her head just enough to see Hanna leaning over Caleb and crying.

"Hanna, I'm so sorry…"

"Em, what happened?" Hanna asked through her tears.

"This is all my fault." Her body was in the lighthouse, but her soul had traveled to the instant she'd lost Maya the first time, to Tru North. To Nate. To Maya's death. To how destroyed she'd been when Maya's body had been found.

"No one blames you, Em." Spencer felt tears falling down her cheeks.

"I should have listened to her. She was right."

"Who? Who was right?" Spencer asked. "Emily, who did this to you?"

"Don't leave me." Emily closed her eyes.

"We're not going anywhere." Aria grabbed Emily's hand. "Em, stay awake. You have to…"

"Maya." A smile formed on Emily's face as she remembered Maya's words about how the universe just ceased when it was just the two of them, " _Clocks all over the world run backwards_." Emily muttered.

"You're not making any sense." Spencer put her hand against Emily's face.

"Of course she's not making sense. She's got a hole in her stomach." Hanna wiped some snot away from her nose.

"Hanna…" Aria scolded her.

"She's burning up." Spencer kept her palm against her cheek. "She's going into shock."

"Em, open your eyes." Hanna begged.

" _Goodbyes are the only perfect things we get_." Emily's hand slid out of Hanna's hand and on to the floor. Her head rolled to one side.

"No, no no no no." Aria shook her head. "Emily?"

Caleb flinched uncomfortably. Hanna put her hands against his arms, hoping that her touch would be enough to let him know she was there for him. His body relaxed underneath her touch.

"How is he?" Aria asked.

"Circling the drain." Hanna sounded more angry than distraught. "Both of them are. This can't be happening. We didn't survive radioactive texts and psycho bullies just to watch two people we love die like this. How much longer is the damn ambulance going to take?"

They heard sirens in the distance. They weren't out of the woods yet, but at least they knew the cavalry was on the way.

"What do we do about Nate?" Aria whispered.

"There isn't much we can do. He's dead. We don't know anything. We know Caleb has bullet hole in his stomach and Emily has a stab wound in hers. We have to make sure they're safe before the questions can start." Spencer stated.

All they could do was sit in the deafening silence waiting for someone to come along and save Emily and Caleb. And the more time that went by, the worse Caleb and Emily got. Caleb's heart was beating irregularly and Emily wasn't breathing right.

"We can't wait any longer." Hanna checked Caleb's pulse. "He's going to die if we don't…"

"You guys, Emily's not breathing…" Aria interrupted Hanna.

"No." Hanna shook her head. "That can't be possible." She looked down at Emily, who was as still as she'd ever seen her. "Em! Emily! Don't you dare. Don't you dare do this…"

They heard loud noises downstairs. Seconds later the paramedics came racing up the stairs. They went to work immediately. The emergency responders pulled Emily away from Aria and Spencer. The last they saw of her the paramedics were wheeling her away and trying to get her breathing again.

Caleb crashed as they were loading him into the ambulance. Hanna was distraught watching them work on him with the defibrillator. She became even more despondent when they wouldn't let her stay with him. Everyone around was trying to question them, but none of the girls could talk. Finally, Spencer threatened the police with a lawsuit if they didn't back off. Telling them that her parents were lawyers shut the cops up.

Hanna watched the ambulance with Caleb disappear, its sirens filling the air.

"Come on." Aria gently took Hanna's hand. "We have to get to the hospital."

"We should call Emily's mom," Spencer said.

"I don't think I can talk to her without falling apart." Aria's voice trembled.

"We can fall apart later." Spencer dialed Emily's home number. "Right now, we've got to pull it together for Caleb and Emily." There was an answer on the other end. "Hi, Mrs. Fields? Something's happened..." she tried to maintain her composure, but her voice was trembling "...Emily, she's...I...it's bad..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Spencer didn't sugarcoat how bad it was, but she didn't tell Emily's mom everything. She left out the part about Nate and she glossed over the fact that both Emily and Caleb were crashing when they were put in the ambulances. Her mother hadn't said much on the phone. Spencer was pretty sure that the instant she heard "Emily" and "stabbed" in the same sentence that Mrs. Fields had grabbed her purse and headed out the door with the cordless phone still in her hand.

The drive to the hospital was the hardest thing they'd ever done. No one said anything, because no one knew whether or not Caleb and Emily had survived. When they got to the emergency room, Pam Fields was already there. She met the girls at the front desk. She seemed unusually calm, especially considering her natural inclination had always been to control the situation. The only hint of nerves she showed was how tightly she had her fingers wound together. Her hands were in constant motion, but as soon as the girls reached her she stopped fidgeting.

"They're both in surgery." Her eyes were flooded with tears, but she hadn't completely fallen apart.

 _Surgery._ That meant they were both alive. There was a sense of relief, but there was also a sense of dread…for everything that Caleb and Emily had gone through. Pam looked at Aria, Spencer, and Hanna and she saw the haunted look in their eyes. She had no idea what had happened out at the lighthouse, but she knew that the girls were broken. She had never been a hugger, but when she saw the girls for what they were…scared children who needed comfort…she didn't hesitate to embrace them. Despite her own daughter being in peril, she became the parent they needed at the moment.

"Emily is strong. She'll be okay," she said it as much for herself as she did for them. "And Caleb…" she paused and looked at Hanna, "…it looks like the bullet missed all his vital organs. They may have to take his spleen, but he should recover."

Hanna nearly collapsed at the news, but Mrs. Fields held her up. Spencer and Aria both put their hands on Hanna's arms just to let her know they were there.

"Hanna, your mother is on her way. She was able to reach Caleb's mom in Montecito." She looked at Spencer. "And Spencer, I spoke with your mother. We've agreed that for right now the police are not going to get anywhere near you. They will eventually need statements, but what matters right now is you girls and Caleb."

How had she been able to hold it all together? Had it been her husband's military training? Or was she still in shock? Her eyes darted to the phones and then back to the girls.

"I have to try and reach Emily's father. He wasn't on the base when I called."

The girls all nodded silently. They watched her turn the corner and then looked at each other.

"You guys, do we think this is Paige's revenge for the set-up for her tonight?" Aria asked.

"No, I don't think she'd hurt Emily." Spencer shook her head.

"She tried to drown her!" Hanna reminded her.

"I know, but…I just can't see her overpowering Emily, Nate, and Caleb. Besides, she may hate us, but she loves Emily." Spencer frowned.

"Unless Emily found out the truth," Aria said.

"Okay, this is pointless. We just need to wait for Emily and Caleb to wake up and then they can tell us what happened." Hanna sat down.

Aria and Spencer did the same. All they could do now was wait. Time seemed to stop moving forward. Everything around them slowed down. They watched people come in and out of the ER for what seemed like an eternity. Ashley Marin came by to make sure Hanna was okay. She tried to convince the girls to go home, but they refused.

Spencer looked at the clock and sighed. She looked around the waiting room for any sign of Mrs. Fields or Emily's doctor. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when she saw Paige walk in to the waiting area escorted by a police officer. She had a butterfly bandage on her head and something that looked like salve on her wrists.

"Are you kidding me?" Aria looked at Paige. "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know, but I hope Emily is the one who gave her that knock on the head. She's going to need a whole lot more than a little bandage when I get through with her…" Hanna leaped up.

"Hanna, wait…" Spencer grabbed her.

Paige saw them and approached them. She looked shaken. She didn't look anything like a cold-blooded killer. Her hands were trembling.

"I saw Emily's mom, but she was on the phone and I couldn't talk to her. Is Emily okay?"

"No, she's not okay!" Hanna couldn't control her temper. She tried to lunge at Paige, but Spencer and Aria held her back. "But you already know that."

"Look, I don't know what you think happened tonight, but I was dragged out to that place," Paige explained. "It was a trap. I was set up."

The words registered to the girls. They had been set up more than once. But if Paige was 'A' then she'd be saying exactly what she was saying to them to throw them off her trail. But there was more to what Paige was telling them. Spencer recognized something in Paige that she'd not seen before. It was fear. Real fear. Spencer had been the first one to jump on the 'Paige is A' bandwagon, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Please…just tell me what happened to Emily." Paige's voice quaked as she started to cry.

"Not until you tell us the whole story," Spencer said.

Paige sighed.

"I got a text earlier telling me to show up at the cemetery or Emily would get hurt. I was on my way out there, but the chain on my bike slid off the track and when I stopped to fix it…someone grabbed me and smacked me over the head."

"Who?" Aria asked.

"Nate." Paige stated. "He kept telling me that I was going to pay for stealing Emily from him. The next thing I know he had me tied up in a closet. He told me if I made any noise he would do to me what he did to Maya." She paused and the tears flowed freely down her face. "I could…I could hear him talking to Emily in the next room. I thought maybe I could get free…warn her…but he waited until she was asleep and then he knocked me out. When I woke up…he had a knife to her throat. Then he brought me out like I was some prized pig he was about to slaughter. I have never been so afraid in my life. But Emily…she was determined. I could see it in her eyes. She led him away, and that's the last thing I remember. The police found me and brought me in for treatment."

"Why would Nate hurt Emily? And why would he kill his cousin?" Spencer asked.

"He wasn't really her cousin." Paige wiped her tears. "He said his name was Lyndon. Lyndon something. James or Jones."

"Oh my God. The knife." Hanna gasped. The initials on the knife they'd found in Maya's bag were _L.J._

"Look, I know you guys have your problems with me, but I would never hurt Emily. And I would never hurt you either." Her voice sounded completely broken. "Please…just tell me what happened to her."

The girls looked at one another. Aria and Hanna looked at Spencer to answer.

"She's hurt," Spencer said. "But Mrs. Fields seems to think she's going to be okay." Spencer was lying through her teeth. Emily's mother was as terrified as the girls that Emily wouldn't pull through, but Pam would never tell them that.

Paige nodded and wiped away a few more tears.

"Ms. McCullers, we need a statement. Your parents are waiting at the station." A police officer walked over to her.

"Of course," Paige nodded. She started to walk away.

"Paige?" Spencer called after her. Paige turned to face them again. "I'm sorry. For…" She struggled to find her words. "…just for everything."

"You'll let me know when you know something about Emily?" she asked.

"We will." Aria nodded.

After she walked away the girls faced one another.

"Nate?" Aria questioned. "Nate killed Maya?"

"It adds up." Spencer nodded. "Emily always thought there was someone bothering Maya. He must have been following her for a long time. I bet he came back to do the same to Emily."

"Paige said Emily led him away from the cabin. She must have fought him in that lighthouse. I bet he thought she wouldn't be able to fight him off. But with our history with 'A'…Emily's got more bite than bark these days," Hanna said.

"Never thought I'd be happy that we were tortured by Mona all of Junior year," Aria said sarcastically.

"Wait, are we really saying Emily killed him?" Spencer whispered.

"She wouldn't have done it unless she was forced. He must have stabbed her first." Hanna shook her head.

"God, poor Em," Aria frowned. "I can't even imagine…"

"I'm just surprised that out of all of us, she was the first to kill someone," Spencer said. She looked at Hanna. "I always thought it would be you going off on some sales clerk who gave you the wrong color cashmere blend."

Aria chuckled and Hanna rolled her eyes. A surgeon approached them and they all stood at attention.

"Excuse me, are you here with Caleb Rivers?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, that's us." Hanna's heart leaped into her chest.

"Are you family?"

"We're…married." Hanna lied.

Aria and Spencer looked at her and tried to hold back their laughter. The doctor looked at them skeptically, but continued anyway.

"He's out of surgery, Mrs. Rivers. He's in stable condition."

The girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"He was in rough shape when he got here because of the blood loss, but fortunately the wound was through and though. It missed all the major organs. His spleen had some damage, but we were able to repair it."

"When can I see him?" Hanna asked.

"He's coming out of the anesthesia now. As soon as he's awake we'll come find you." The doctor reached out to shake her hand.

Hanna skipped the handshake and went straight for a hug. The doctor smiled and cleared his throat. She faced her friends with an optimistic smile on her face. The doctor started to walk away, but Spencer stopped him.

"Do you know anything about how Emily Fields is doing?"

"Uh, she's still in surgery, I think. They are finishing up on her now."

"Is she going to be okay?" Aria asked.

"I can't speak to what her condition is because I wasn't in her surgery."

"I can." Someone from behind them said.

The buttery English accent was unmistakable.

"Wren, I didn't know you were working tonight." Spencer reached out to hug him. He looked exhausted.

"I should have come out to update you sooner. I wanted to come and find you as soon as they brought Emily in, but they needed me in surgery."

"How is she?" Aria asked.

"Stable. I just spoke with her mother. She's been on the phone all night updating her husband. She told me you were all still here." He smiled. "Can't say I'm surprised." He looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. "I'd tell you all to go home and get some sleep, but I doubt you would listen to me."

"We're not going anywhere." Hanna shook her head.

"Right." Wren laughed softly. "I've got to get back, but I'll let you know when she's out of surgery."

"Thanks, Wren." Spencer nodded.

They sat down.

"When did 3 AM happen?" Aria looked at the clock.

"Right after 2:59, I'm assuming." Spencer retorted.

They watched the minutes continue to tick by. Around 3:45 Hanna was escorted to Caleb's room. Aria and Spencer stayed in the waiting room to wait on an update on Emily.

Caleb was laying in bed with tubes hooked up all around him, but he was awake. The nurse gave Hanna a brief update and then walked towards the door.

"Let me know if you need anything else, Mrs. Rivers," she walked into the hallway.

Caleb smiled weakly at her.

"Mrs. Rivers?" He asked. "You have something you want to tell me?"

"I should smack you." Hanna walked over to his bedside. "But I'm just so happy you're alive."

"That's me. I'm resourceful." Caleb moved his hand towards her. She took it.

"You are an idiot." Hanna leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I told you not to take that gun."

"I thought it would make a better weapon than a pink fuzzy lamp," Caleb teased her.

"I should have knocked you out with it. Then we wouldn't be here." Hanna huffed.

"Or Emily might not have survived." Caleb squeezed her fingers. "How is she? I asked about her when I came to. They only told me that she was here and she was in surgery."

"She is." Hanna nodded. "Wren talked to us about 45 minutes ago and said they were finishing up. Aria and Spencer are waiting for an update."

Caleb nodded.

"Caleb, what happened out there tonight?" Hanna leaned forward. He looked so pale.

"When I got there Nate was bleeding out on the ground and Emily was hurt pretty bad," he glanced away in discomfort. "I seriously thought she was going to die in my arms. The fact that she was even standing was…" He shook his head, "…I don't think she realized how badly she was hurt. She kept saying stuff…about Maya."

"Yeah," Hanna nodded. "She said some things before she passed out. Some of it was stuff that Maya had said to her…on the videos. But it's like Emily thought she was there."

"Did she say anything else about what happened up there?" Caleb questioned.

"She kept apologizing."

"Sounds like Emily." Caleb laughed. He tensed up and groaned in pain.

"Caleb, she killed him, didn't she?" Hanna asked.

"I was trying to get her out. I thought Nate was dead." He frowned. "Should have checked. Why does no one ever check to make sure attackers are dead?" He grumbled. "I saw him come at us out of the shadows. I didn't have enough time to get both of us out of the way and I didn't think Emily would survive a gunshot wound on top of her other injuries. I got her out of the way and before I could rush Nate, he pulled the trigger." He scrunched his face in thought, trying very carefully to remember what happened next. "The rest is kind of blurry. I just remember thinking that Nate was going to kill me. I thought about how pissed you were going to be…"

"Oh, I'm plenty pissed." Hanna glared at him.

"I knew you would be." He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it. Her fingers brushed the tube in his nose.

"Don't try to act like a cute wounded puppy." Hanna glared at him.

"Worth a shot." Caleb continued to smile at her.

"Bad choice of words for someone who just had a bullet removed from his gut." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"I'm just lucky the bastard didn't get a second shot off," Caleb sighed. "I heard Emily moving in the corner. I turned to see if she was okay, but I couldn't. I was blacking out. Then I heard a struggle and the gun falling to the ground. After that I think I heard Emily calling out my name. She told me…" He paused, not sure if he was remembering things right, "…she told me to think about you. And that's the last thing I remember…until I had this vision of you wrapping your arms around me."

"We were there." Hanna nodded. "We found you and Emily barely clinging to life. She was trying to hold your guts in place."

"You have a way with words," Caleb said sarcastically.

"We were so afraid you were both going to die." Hanna quieted her voice. "You were…you were both…" She got too emotional to finish.

"We're okay, Hanna." Caleb brushed his fingers against her to calm her down.

"I could see how much pain you were in." She choked back tears. "I thought 'it can't get any worse than this' and then Emily woke up and I thought maybe things would be okay. And then I looked at her…and she wasn't there, Caleb. I could see her looking right through me. She kept looking for you and you were right in front of her."

"She was in shock." Caleb said softly. "We were all in shock." He paused. "As much stuff as we've been through you think we'd be immune to shock at this point."

"I almost lost you both tonight." Hanna cried. "I _never_ want to feel that way again."

"Hey, come here." He motioned for her to move forward. She leaned over the bed and gently put her head on his chest, careful not to disturb any of the wires he was hooked up to and careful not to put any pressure on his wound. He gently placed his hand on her cheek and stroked her hair. They just laid like that for a little while, until a knock on the door drew them out of their state of shock.

Spencer was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Caleb." Spencer waved. "How are you?"

"Eh, my organs feel a little loose." He smiled.

"Glad to see you still have that biting humor." Spencer smiled back.

"We'll be back to verbal sparring in no time." Caleb nodded.

"Well, don't think I'm going to take it easy on you just because you have a hole in your spleen now."

"Bring it on." Caleb dared her.

They all laughed. It felt good to smile after the night they had.

"Han?" Spencer called to her friend. "Emily's awake. She's still groggy, but her mom says she wants to see us."

Hanna looked at Caleb.

"Go," he said.

She nodded. Spencer and Hanna walked down the hallway. They passed Mrs. Fields on the way. She was talking with Emily's doctor. She stopped long enough to smile at the girls and then turned back towards the doctor. They walked into Emily's room. Aria was in a chair next to Emily's bed.

"You know it's not your fault," Aria was in the middle of a conversation with her. "Paige said he held a knife to your throat."

"I never should have run off with him. I should have stayed with you guys. You were just trying to help and I totally shut you out…" Emily heard Hanna and Spencer walk into the room and she turned to face them.

"Hey, Em." Hanna walked over to her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my ulcer was a piece of cake compared to this." Emily started to move, but a sharp pain stopped her in her tracks. "Have you seen Caleb? Is he okay?"

"He's going to be fine." Hanna reassured her. She sat down in the chair next to Aria.

"I thought…" Emily swallowed a knot in her throat.

"I know." Spencer gently took her hand. "So did we. Neither one of you was in the greatest shape when we found you."

"I'm so sorry." Emily shook her head.

"Em, you couldn't have known what that monster was planning," Aria said.

"I should have figured it out." Emily was mentally kicking herself. "He was just…he was so convincing."

"He had everyone fooled." Hanna put her hand on Emily's arm.

"Not everyone," Emily said. "Jenna knew."

"Wait, what do you mean Jenna knew?" Spencer asked.

"I mean that she came to my house before she skipped town and told me to be careful."

"Jenna as in Jenna Marshall?" Hanna asked.

"How many Jennas do you know, Hanna?" Aria rolled her eyes.

"She told you to be careful?" Spencer questioned. "Be careful of what?"

"She didn't say. Something spooked her and she left before I could ask any more questions," Emily explained. "I thought she was just messing with me."

"Well, that is what she does best," Hanna muttered. "If she knew, why didn't she just come right out and say it?"

"I don't know. Something was different about her that night. But of course, I was too dumb to pay attention. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in being mad at you guys maybe I would have been able to figure things out. We wouldn't be here. _Caleb_ wouldn't be here. It's my fault."

"Don't start that again." Spencer frowned down at her friend.

"Don't you get it? I _killed_ someone." Tears flooded her face.

"Any one of us would have done the same." Spencer pushed Emily's hair out of her face and brushed it behind her ears to keep it from getting wet from her tears. "I would have gutted him myself if I knew he was going to do this to you."

"You did what you had to do, Em." Hanna leaned forward and took her friend's hand. "Caleb said Nate was going to kill you both, and I, for one, would rather have the two of you alive than that psycho."

"I know…" Emily's demeanor had calmed a bit, "…I just…I took a life. I'm no better than he was when he killed Maya."

"No," Aria said defiantly. "You are _not_ the same. Not even remotely. What you did to him was a mercy compared to what he did to you and Maya. He deserved a hell of a lot more than that knife in his chest."

"Aria's right," Spencer agreed. "He kidnapped Paige. He stabbed you. He shot Caleb!" Her voice cracked and she felt tears burning her eyes. "Em, when we found you we were sure you were dead. _He_ did that. Not you. Not Caleb. _Him_. So, yeah, if he had to die so you and Caleb could live…I think we are all okay with that." She spit without any hint of remorse. "We had your blood all over us tonight. We watched you stop breathing, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't feel sorry for the bastard who did that to you."

"Wait, what do you mean I stopped breathing?" Emily questioned.

"I mean you died right in front of us, Emily! If those paramedics hadn't shown up when they did…" Spencer trailed off. She couldn't think about that possibility. It was still too fresh in her mind.

Emily stared at them in shock.

"You didn't know?" Aria asked.

"No one told me that," her voice was barely a whisper. She took a thoughtful pause.

"Em, what are you thinking?" Aria asked.

"I think I remember it."

"Remember what?" Spencer asked.

"Dying."

"Okay, don't go all morbid on us. We've all had a tough night." Hanna rubbed some sleep from her eyes.

"No, it's not like that," Emily admitted. "I don't remember being afraid or upset. I think…I think I saw Maya."

Aria, Hanna, and Spencer all exchanged a glance. Emily hadn't missed their silent conversation.

"I know it must sound crazy, but I felt her there. I felt her with me all night, even before I was attacked. It was like this pull…like she was guiding me." She looked at her friends. "Okay, don't look at me like that. Someone say something."

"You don't sound crazy," Spencer stroked Emily's arm. "I saw it in your eyes, Em. Right before you crashed. I thought for a second that you were rallying, but then I saw your eyes looking right through me. You saw something in that lighthouse that none of us could see. We were with you, but you weren't with us. You were with Maya."

Emily looked away uncomfortably. She took a moment to compose herself.

"You believe me?"

"Well, it's not like it's the craziest thing that's happened to us." Hanna shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess not." Emily agreed. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Her meds were starting to make her feel groggy again.

"You okay?" Aria asked.

"Yeah." Emily smiled weakly. "Just tired."

They heard footsteps approaching. A few seconds later Pam walked into the room.

"Hey." Emily smiled at her mother. "What did the doctor say?"

"He's cautiously optimistic." Pam smiled back at her daughter. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Emily replied. Pam didn't look like she believed her. "Really, mom. I'm just a little dizzy from the pain meds."

"Uh, girls…" Pam faced her friends, "…I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you being here, but…" She felt guilty asking them to leave, but she knew Emily needed rest.

"Visiting hours are over. We get it." Aria stood up.

"If you need anything, let us know." Spencer squeezed Emily's hand.

"I will. Thanks."

"Get some rest, Em." Hanna gently pat Emily's leg.

"We love you." Aria reached down and stroked her arm.

"I love you guys, too," Emily replied.

A few seconds later Emily was alone with her mother in the room. She expected a barrage of questions. Instead, Pam simply sat down next to her daughter and took her hand. Emily sighed and closed her eyes. She tightened her grip on her mother's hand and drifted off to sleep. The pain meds kept her sedated for a while. When she woke up, the room was empty. She looked around and saw a shadow in the corner of the room.

"Mom?" Emily tried to let her eyes adjust to the dark.

"Guess again." The voice made her heart flutter.

"Maya…"

"Hey, there she is." Maya walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge. "You really scared me back there."

"You came back for me." Emily reached out for Maya's hand.

"Of course I did. You'll always be my girl." Maya took her hand.

Emily knew she was dreaming, but she didn't care. Her dreams felt more realistic than anything else in her life. Time stopped when she was with Maya. She felt safe with her. Maya interlaced her fingers with Emily's. She traced her other hand up Emily's leg. Her touch warmed Emily's entire body. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep." Maya whispered.

"Just…stay with me for a little while." Emily squeezed her hand.

"I'll stay with you forever."

Emily felt her body relaxing because of Maya's soft touch. She let out a content sigh and enjoyed every second with Maya, because she knew eventually she would have to wake up. But for the moment she was safe. She was happy.


End file.
